The present invention relates to covers for an automobile steering wheel.
From the early days of the automobile, the importance of having a good grip upon the steering wheel was clearly recognized because any relative slippage between the driver's hands and the steering wheel results in loss of control which can cause an accident. Such relative slippage between the driver's hands and the steering wheel can occur during normal driving conditions as well as when the car is operated over rough roads causing vibration and sudden movement of the steering wheel.
Steering wheels have always been made of materials such as wood, or plastic, having a hard and smooth finish which has a tendency to reduce the friction between the driver's hands and the steering wheel. Recognizing the danger resulting from slippage between the driver's hands and the steering wheel, automobile manufacturers have provided grooves, ridges or similar indentations on the steering wheel in order to reduce the likelihood of relative slippage. These efforts, however, have been far from successful. As a result the driver, aware of the danger of slippage, is likely to grip the steering wheel very tightly causing muscular discomfort, fatigue and possibly pain.
The above described problems are well known and numerous efforts have been made to solve them. A common solution was the provision of a steering wheel cover made of materials having good frictional and gripping characteristics. Such covers were often made of elastic material so that the steering wheel cover could be stretched in order to fit onto the steering wheel over which it would remain under tension. Examples of such prior art steering wheel covers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,446,628, 1,530,060 and 2,172,585.
Such steering wheel covers improved the driver's grip on the wheel to some extent. In addition, these wheel covers could be touched in extreme temperatures, either hot or cold, whereas a conventional steering wheel would almost always be impossible to touch with bare hands.
While the steering wheel covers of the prior art did constitute some advance in dealing with the problems presented by an uncovered steering wheel, there was still much left to be desired in terms of slippage as well as comfort to the driver.